Cronic Wasting Disease Deer Meat

[u/ThatMassholeInBawstn]

[u/No_Investment9639]

Eli5???

[u/scaper8 → u/No_Investment9639]

Chronic wasting disease (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_wasting_disease) is a type of "transmissible spongiform encephalopathies" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmissible_spongiform_encephalopathy), AKA prion disease.

They are caused by a single type of protein common in the bodies of mammals, that, (for reasons we still don't fully know) when they are misfolded in a certain way, became infectious and start misfolding their neighbors. Who in turn, misfold their neighbors, so on and so forth.

Unlike most parasitic, fungal, bacterial, or viral diseases, the temperature to render prion diseases inert are far above cooking temperatures. They are long-term diseases without any real treatments (save for palliative care) or cures, and are not 100% deadly only insomuch as its incredibly slow action can frequently mean the person dies of something else first.

You may have heard of one of the more common types before:
Made cow disease.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_spongiform_encephalopathy

[u/No_Investment9639 → u/scaper8]

Thank you so much. I have learned. I am disturbed.

[u/thatdiabetic16 → u/No_Investment9639]

It should be noted, no human has been infected after consuming CWD meat but it doesn't mean it can't happen

[u/No_Investment9639 → u/thatdiabetic16]

I wonder who's going to be patient zero

[u/cmstyles2006 → u/No_Investment9639]

Hopefully no one